Chapter 2

Kara Smith looked over the audience from her chair on The Island Meeting Hall’s stage, and noticed there was quite a mix of purple and blue Auralites seated out there as she fiddled with the notes in her hand. 

Her eyes roamed the hall and she tried to decide if the decorators had achieved the look they were going for.  Could it have been boredom?  The bland tan walls would suggest so.  Maybe it was depression?  The dreary brown seats and carpet would give that impression.  I know it’s necessary to try to keep dirt undercover, but come on.

The stage’s glowing wooden planks and the velvet stage curtain’s rich brown hue were the only beautiful things in sight.  She cast her gaze over the audience again and smiled broadly as she realized each and every one of the drab twenty-five hundred seats was filled.

Kara took a sip of water from the glass sitting on the long table at which she sat as she searched the front rows for her friends, Remy and Danielle.  After spotting them in the second row, she experienced a small jolt of excitement and stifled a desire to wave.  She was especially grateful for her friends’ support since her mom refused to come and her husband, Lee, was on another unknown mission and couldn’t come.

Kara’s attention returned to the stage as the Master of Ceremonies grabbed the mic and began the program by giving a short welcome.

As the MC continued to speak, Kara’s thoughts became caroming balls in a pinball game.  They bounced against the walls of her mind, finally giving rise to a single question:  Why in the world had she let them talk her into going first?  She unclenched her hands and watched as the MC gave a short bio of each speaker.  Kara smiled and dabbed at the sudden beads of sweat collecting on her forehead.  Shuffling her notes, she crossed and uncrossed her legs.  As she listened to the bios, Kara was sure each was shorter than the previous.  And before she knew it, her name boomed through the state-of-the-art speaker system. 

Kara rose from her seat, taking a deep, calming breath.  Upon reaching the podium, she cleared her throat and spoke directly into the microphone.

            “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.  It’s a pleasure to be here with you tonight.  As you all know, during the course of our history, and when I say our, I include blue and purple alike,” Kara said, pausing while pointing into the audience.  “We purple have suffered at the hands of the blue.”

            Kara felt unruly butterflies throwing a amming’, get-down party in her stomach.

“If you’ll bear with me, I’d like to revisit that part of our history I find applicable to my subject.  As you know, we typically live to age two hundred, give or take a few years, and illness is a condition with which we are, fortunately, unfamiliar.  The one thing that can end our lives early is a catastrophic accident.  Even that type of death occurs only when we are unable to reach one of our clinics, where we can receive a live-body blood transfusion.  These accidents rarely happen to any of us today, as the majority of the blues seldom go off-island and the purples’ psychic skills are now being adequately developed.”

            Kara’s voice increased in volume as the butterflies slowed their roll, slow-dragging to the “Quiet Storm.”

“During the time we purple Auralites were forced to work off-island with virtually non-existent psychic skills, many of my ancestors and many of yours lost their lives.  In 1840, my great-grandfather, Willie, a young, untrained Auralite at the time, was forced to work for the Midlothian Coal Mining Company in Virginia’s Richmond Basin.  Midlothian was one of the very few companies hiring free black men at the time.  Of course, his employers had no idea he was an Auralite.  They simply thought he was a free black man.  Willie managed to survive several accidents during his tenure with the mining company before he was killed fifteen years later when an explosion rocked the mine.  I only pray his life ended with the explosion.  I can’t begin to imagine the terror he would have felt if he’d survived the explosion, only to realize his life was about to end by injury, fire, or asphyxiation.  He would have been hurt badly, unable to auralate to a different location.”  Kara paused, determined to allow not one quiver in her voice.  “I’m sure many of the purple Auralites in the audience can relate to my pain and I hope many of the blues can understand it.”

            Kara caught Remy’s eye, saw her wipe a tear from her cheek, and knew Remy was thinking of her own husband, dead twenty years now, a victim of under-developed psychic skills.

            Having connected with her friend, Kara squared her shoulders.  Her voice strengthened as she continued. “The impact of my great-grandfather’s death on my family’s emotional health was indescribable.  But tonight, I’m not here to talk about the emotional devastation.  I’m here to talk about the financial devastation, which still affects my family to this day.  You see, his family not only lost Willie in that explosion, they lost his income.  Oh yes, it was only that portion of his income the Council allowed him to keep, but it was the income that sustained his family.

            “The Council provided my great-grandmother with a stipend each month.  An amount so small, she was forced to work in the on-island home of a wealthy blue family to provide for her own.  She continued in this vein until her oldest son, my grandfather, was deemed old enough, by the Council, to work.  Again off-island, again no psychic skills.  He met the same fate as his father and the cycle repeated itself.

            “It is my contention the families who lost members off-island during this abhorrent practice should be compensated for the lost of income, an insurance policy, if you will.  Those who are opposed to this proposal may say the purple families were previously given reparations from the blues.  And this is true.  We were compensated for that half of our ancestors’ income the Council took and used to enrich themselves and the blues like them.  Now, don’t get me wrong, we are pleased with that resolution.  However, what about the survivors whose income stream was cut short by an untimely death?  What about the aurals, like my great-grandmother, who found themselves making irrevocable lifestyle changes to ensure their family’s survival?  I say to you tonight, these families have not been adequately compensated!  And the repercussions are still being felt today.  I fervently hope you will work with me to rectify this wrong.  Thank you for coming tonight, and thank you for giving me your attention.”

            On wobbly legs, Kara started the long trek to her seat with resounding applause ringing in her ears.  Before that moment, she’d been a little disappointed her time to speak was so short.  But now, she found herself so grateful to the event’s coordinator, she could have kissed her.  As soon as she reached her chair, she gulped greedily from her water glass, but the liquid did nothing to allay her shakes.

#

Remy and Dani edged their way toward the group surrounding Kara in the hall’s lobby. 

            “Girl, look at you, all gracious and shit, receiving your public.”  Remy laughed as she and Dani finally reached Kara through the mass of aurals.  “Seriously though, you were great!”

            Dani reached out, giving Kara a hug.  “I’m so proud of you.  You did good!”

            “Thanks, I’m so glad y’all were here.  Could you tell how nervous I was?”

            “No…well, maybe a little,” Remy said.  “I—”

            “Excuse me, Ms. Smith—”

            Kara turned.  The host stood behind her.  A good-looking blue Auralite, he stood tall and muscular with close-cut black hair.

            His blue aura, still brilliant in color, but drooping in stance, indicated he was older, maybe seventy or so.  Clear, brown eyes stayed on Kara as he continued speaking.  “I just wanted to catch you before you left.  Your speech was very effective, very well delivered.  I hope we can count on you in the future.”

            Beaming, Kara shook his extended hand.  “Thank you so much.  I appreciate your taking the time to tell me.  And yes, you can certainly count on me.”

            “Well, I’ll…um…leave…um…you ladies.  I hope you have a good evening.  Good night.”  He left, but not before giving Kara quite a stare down.

            Dani looked Kara up and down, saying, “Um-huh, I think he wanna get with you.  We better get Lee back here quick, fast, and in a damn hurry.”

            “You are so full of it!  I ain’t hardly interested in that fine-ass old man, even if I wasn’t married to my honeybunch.”

            “It was kinda weird how he was looking at you, though.”  Remy turned to find him not twenty feet away.  His eyes were laser beams, homing in on Kara with an intensity of emotion Remy was unable to identify.

Now at Delicious, the three women sat on the patio facing Rra’s Dessert Bar, getting ready for a little girl-talk after finishing their entrees.  The salty smell of the night air and the slight breeze blowing against their faces brought pleasure.

“So, y’all really think I did okay tonight?”

            Remy and Dani looked at each other, rolling their eyes. 

“Please, chile, don’t make me have to—” started Remy.

            “Okay, okay, I’m sorry.  I won’t ask again,” Kara declared, hands up, head shaking, a big grin still on her face.  A tall, willowy woman with slanted brown eyes and newly-acquired twists in her below-the-shoulders black hair, Kara was dressed in a royal blue business suit with quite the plunging neckline.  A conservative outfit for her.

“Y’all want the rest of this pie?” Kara asked, scarfing down the huge chunk of key lime pie they were supposed to be sharing. 

            “Nah, knock yourself out.”  Dani shook her head.  She was a short woman, a little plump, with large black eyes and a cropped curly ‘fro.  She, too, was conservatively but stylishly dressed in a loose white pantsuit.

            Remy and Dani, both purple Auralites and both thirty-nine, had been friends since childhood.  Kara, at forty-nine, joined them when she’d become Urbane’s supplier eleven years ago.

            “Guess who I met today?”  Remy put her fork down and leaned back in her chair since Kara was the only one participating in the pie-eating portion of the evening.

            “Who?” Remy’s friends’ voices rang out in unison.

            “Jace Williams.”

            “The author?”

            “Um-huh.”

            “Oh my God!  Is he as fine in person as he is on his book covers?”  Dani’s eyes widened as she started fanning herself.

            “Oh yeah.  He’s tall, somewhere around six feet, and his eyes, girl, they’re really pretty.  Intense and brown with these kinda gold flecks…long, long lashes.  Um, he got the five o’clock shadow-thing going on now, not clean-shaven like on his book covers.  Dimples.  I was like, damn.”

            “So, where did this happen?”  Kara asked, her hand covering her mouth as she chewed the last of the pie.

            “In that bookstore by Urbane.”  Snapping her fingers, Remy continued.  “Damn, I forgot to buy the book.  Anyway, I was reading the book flap, laughing and making a fool of myself, when he came over and started talking.”

            “About what?”  Dani now leaned across the table, fanning Remy.

            “Girl, would you stop?  I don’t know.  We talked about all kinds stuff.”

            “All kinds of stuff?  How long did y’all talk?”  Kara sat up in her chair, all attention on Remy.

            “A couple of hours.  I was almost late for your speech.”

            There was no smile evident anywhere on Kara’s face when she asked, “Was he trying to hit on you?”

            “Yeah, but I told him I wasn’t into the inter-coven dating thing.  I tried to be tactful, though.  I didn’t want to be too blunt because he is Jace Williams and I know he could probably hook me up with a few new customers, so I didn’t want to axe a possible friendship.  And not just that…he seems like a really nice person.  Oh!” she exclaimed, snapping her fingers.  “Mentioning customers, I got verbal approval for my bank loan today.”

            Though Remy enjoyed constructing garments, designing was her first love.  After years of thought and updated business plans, she’d finally decided to launch her own line.

            “Remy, that’s great, girl.”  Dani gave Remy a high-five.  “You on your way now.”

            Kara nodded her agreement, grinning around a full mouth.  “Plus, that means more money for me.  More zippers, buttons, all those extra supplies.”  But just as quickly as her grin appeared, it disappeared.  “Now back to Jace, he understands you’re not going out with him?”  Kara finally put her fork down, picked up her napkin, and wiped her mouth.

“Yeah, that’s not an issue.  I made sure he understood I’m not interested in dating a blue guy.  So you can calm down, Kara.  I’m not gonna be talking to him. Anyway, right after we had that talk, this purple guy came in and I could tell just by looking at him some shit might jump off, so I left.”

            “Are you outta your mind?  What difference does it make what coven he is?  The man is fine.  Um…um…um!”  Dani snatched a napkin from the middle of the table, wet it in her finger bowl, and started dabbing her face.  “Ooh, he’s s-o-o hot!”

            Even Kara laughed at that.  “You are so damn crazy!  So, what’s up with…um…Rick?”

            Neither Remy nor Kara was ever certain about names because Dani changed her men like she changed her drawers.

            “Chile, he’s history.  I had to kick his ass to the curb.”

            Remy and Kara exchanged glances.  Remy decided she’d be the one to ask.  “What did he do?”

            “He sneezed every time he, ahh, what shall I say…achieved orgasm.”

            “He what?”  This time, it was Remy and Kara whose voices sounded in unison.

            “The man went…ahchoo…ahchoo…twice,” Dani continued, holding up two fingers, “every time he came.  Now the first time it happened, I thought it was just some weird-ass coincidence.  So in an effort not to embarrass, I snuck my hand up to my face and wiped away the few little droplets.”

            “Oh my God, I can’t believe this!”  Remy managed to get out between gales of laughter.

            Dani went on with one finger held aloft.  “Wait, it gets better.  The next time…ahchoo…ahchoo…the sneezes produced a short, but plentiful shower.  I had to use the sheet that time.  Now, I was trying to give a brother the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe, he was just excited about getting with all this.”  She leaned back in her chair, running her hands in and out of the curves that were her body.

            “Are you all alright?” their waitress asked, biting her bottom lip as she put their bill on the table.

            With tears streaming down their faces, none of the three could get anything coherent out, so Remy just nodded and waved the waitress away.

            Dani gained a little control, and the story continued.  “Now, the sex was great…before the big rain event.  I mean, the man really knew what he was doing.  So, I decided to give it one more try.  Wrong move…ahchoo…ahchoo…suddenly, I was in the midst of a freakin’ monsoon!  There was some fear drowning was imminent.  I went in search of a towel, came back, and kicked his ass out.  So in answer to your question, I don’t know what the hell’s up with Rick.  I just know it ain’t up with me.”

            Remy made an attempt to gather herself, refusing to look at Kara or Dani.  Instead, her glance lit upon several of their co-diners.  Her resolve crumbled when she saw the big grin on the face of every eye she met.  Slapping her hand over her mouth, she dissolved into giggles.          As she finally got herself under control, Remy picked up the dessert menu and began fanning herself. 

            “Whew, that was too funny.  Dani, you know your ass is crazy,” Remy said while wiping her face and holding her stomach.  “I’m gonna have to get out of here.  Work calls in the morning.”  She pulled out her wallet, retrieving money to pay for her food and her share of Kara’s bill.  Dani did likewise.

            “It’s been fun.”

            “Thanks for the dinner.”

“Talk to you later.”

“You were great tonight.”

“Hey,” Kara said to Remy just before they auralated, “no blue guys, right?”

“Right.”

            The next day was a glorious one and it found Remy at Urbane seated behind her desk.  No work was being done, though, since the business plan for Urbane’s expansion stared at her from her computer screen.  She’d been studying it for the hundredth time, proud that she was the first in her family to not only grow the business, but to branch out in a new direction. 

She sat gazing through her office window, her thoughts in limbo.  An audience of one, she watched the sun make its westward trek amidst a few clouds.  Rays brightened the room, falling across her desk, but only when two of the fluffy, little clouds drifted ever so slightly and allowed the sun to peep out.  Remy smiled as she checked out their game of celestial hide-and-seek.

The early morning April breeze floating through the open window brought with it the smells of the nearby McDonald’s.  This was probably one of a handful of enjoyable days Charlotte would have before summer rode roughshod over spring, making the phrase—never let them see you sweat—physically impossible.

            She turned to look at her calendar, wondering if she could take some time to enjoy the weather by walking, bike riding, or just sitting over at Park Road Park.  Since it was Friday, she’d thought it might be a light day, but her calendar informed her otherwise.  She had three appointments scheduled for that morning and three more after lunch.  It seemed prom fever was on the horizon.  Since her schedule was so tight, she thought today must be one of those teacher workdays the humans seemed to deem so important.

            Startled by her buzzing intercom, she jumped a little before picking it up.  “Yes?”

Her assistant, Alicia, responded.  “Remy, there’s a gentleman out here to see you.”

Remy glanced at her calendar again, but it read the same as before; her first appointment was at ten o’clock.  She took a quick peek at the wall clock, but it was only 9:10.

In addition to that, the appointment was with a Mrs. Douglas and her daughter, Stephanie, who were new clients.  Her forehead a wrinkled mess, she wondered, Who in the world could this man be?  Not some enterprising supplier, I hope.  I don’t have time for that.  I’m quite satisfied with Kara, anyway.

            As if reading her mind, Alicia informed her, “It’s a Mr. Jace Williams.  Should I bring him back?”

            Her next thought produced even more wrinkles.  What is he doing here?  But to Alicia, she said, “Okay…um…yeah…yeah…bring him back.”

            Footsteps approached and she took a deep breath designed to calm.

“Good morning, Remy.”  His voice was as warm and easy as a humid, summer night.  “I apologize for just dropping in.”

            Nervous, Remy looked up from her desk and saw Jace standing inside the doorway.

Alicia stood behind him, but a little to his right, a question mark and a huge smile on her face.  While fanning her bosom, Alicia pantomimed the words “hot, hot, hot.”

            Remy couldn’t stop her grin.  Jace’s expression told her he thought it was for him.  “Thanks, Alicia.”  She stood as Alicia closed the door behind her.  “Well, this is unexpected.  What brings you by?”

            “Two things, actually.   First, I wanted to bring you this,” he said, presenting her with a small bag.

Remy took the bag, her hand brushing his in the process, creating a frisson between them.  She almost stumbled in her haste to move away from him as the electrical charge made her fingers tingle and her heart quicken.  Attempting to cover her disquiet, Remy dug into the gift bag hanging from her fingers.  Inside, nestled in mounds of tissue paper, was Pandora Page’s new book.  The one she’d forgotten to buy yesterday.

            A smile captured her unawares as she lifted the book from the bag.  “I was planning to go over and buy this at lunch today.  Thanks, Jace, you didn’t have to do that.”

            “I know, but I wanted to.”  Surreptitiously, he eyed her from the top of her pony-tailed locs to the tips of her cream shoes.  Unconsciously, he licked his lips, smiled, and before he could stop himself, said, “You look so good.”  With her soft thanks and her rather startled expression, he remembered yesterday’s conversation and realized he would have to slow to her pace.

            His gaze wandered around her office, taking in the purple and black color scheme.  Upon entering, his feet had sunk into plush purple carpet.  The flecks of color—lavender, gold, and black—scattered throughout—only added to its richness.  A black desk sat in one corner between two windows, a same-hued computer atop it.  To his left, on the other side of the door, was a sitting area with a couch and a couple of chairs, one purple and the other lavender.  The coffee table in front of the couch and the three end tables placed around it and the chairs were all black, all highly glossed.  Bookcases, brimming with books, stood in the opposite corner.  The familiar jingle of the Tom Joyner Morning Show drew his gaze to the right of her office door.  An entertainment center, complete with stereo and TV, sat in the corner. 

“Damn, it’s nice in here!”

            “Thanks, I like it.  Would you like to have a seat?” Remy asked, since he looked as if he might be planning to spend the day.  She guided him towards the sitting area, before adding, “I have a few minutes before my first appointment.”

            “I’m really sorry about just dropping by, but I didn’t know how else to get in touch with you.”

            “That’s okay.”  She stopped and put her index finger in the air.  “Just this once.”

            Maxwell’s “Get to Know Ya” replaced the on-air chatter spilling from the speakers as they sat, she in a chair and he on the couch facing her.

Silence enveloped them as Jace caught her gaze with his.  Their surroundings faded from consciousness.  The two of them stared at one another, suspended in a realm that was enthralling, that was mesmerizing, that was hypnotizing.  Time, unnoticed, slipped by. 

Hours might have passed them by, if not for the intrusion of a siren and its piercing tones.  The noise overrode Maxwell’s smooth sounds, abruptly returning them to awareness.

            Remy, caught in a passing shiver, blinked.  Completely spooked, she took a reassuring glance around her office before asking, “So, you said you came by for two things?”

            Jace leaned forward and smiled.  “Um…yeah.  I’m invited to a birthday party for Pandora Page tonight and I was hoping you would go with me.  I know it’s short notice.  I was gonna go by myself, but I know how much you like Pandora.  So, I thought you might want to go,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t let the inter-coven thing keep her from accompanying him. 

            “By yourself, huh?”

            “Uh-huh, really.”  Jace gave her a puppy dog look.  “And if you don’t go with me, I’ll be there all alone, looking pitiful, searching for somebody to hang with.  I’ll be wandering from person to person trying to get somebody, anybody to talk to me.  Please, please, please go.  Don’t send me all by myself.”  He sang the last line to James Brown’s “Please, Please, Please.”

            “Oh puh-lease!  You are too crazy!” Remy exclaimed, her laughter mingling with his.  “Well…I don’t know.”  Though sure she wasn’t going, she didn’t want to just say no.

Jace’s puppy dog look returned with that response.

Remy smiled, giving her head a shake.  Maybe saying no might not be so harsh if she put it off for a while.  “Can I let you know a little later?  I’ve got a full day.  I’m not sure what time I’ll be leaving here.” 

            “Oookay, that’s cool.  If you’ll give me something to write on, I’ll give you my digits.”

            They walked to her desk where she handed him a pad and pencil.

            Leaning on her desk, he began to write.  “Here’re my cell, my off-island home number, my e-mail, and my digi.”  The digi Jace referenced was an Auralite device that combined several human devices:  a cell phone with a visual component, a text pager, a PDA, a handheld game, a camera, and an e-book, among other things.

            “Well…okay…I’ll give you a call later,” Remy said, moving towards the door in an effort to get him out of there.  His mere presence was diluting her resolve.

            “Uh, can I get your numbers?”

            “Well…yeah…I guess you might need those.”  Going back to her desk, she picked up a business card to give him. 

            Instead of reaching for the card, he said, “What about your after-hours info?  Something could come up after you leave here, right?”

            Remy hesitated for a moment.  She made a quick decision, turned the card over, and wrote her personal info on the back.  Then she placed the card into his outstretched hand, careful to allow no physical contact between them.

            “So, thanks again for the book and I’ll call…what time does the party start…what time would be too late?”

            “Party starts at nine o’clock.  No time would be too late for you.  Anytime is just fine.  We can be late.”

            Remy watched his receding figure as he walked down the hallway.  Damn, he’s fine.  What the hell am I gonna do?  She shook her head in an effort to clear those unbidden, unwelcome thoughts.  What do I mean…what the hell am I gonna do?  What happened to my ‘hell no, I ain’t going’?

            As soon as the front door closed behind Jace, Alicia, purple aura shimmering, ran around her desk and was on her way to Remy’s office.  But stopped her in her tracks by the early arrival of the Douglas women, she threw an exasperated look Remy’s way before turning to greet them.  As Urbane’s routine dictated, Alicia would show them to the workroom, offering refreshments before taking and recording Stephanie’s measurements.

            Remy breathed a relieved sigh at the reprieve the clients brought her.  Inquiring minds do want to know.  Always.  She sank into the softness of the couch, swinging her legs up on one arm of the sofa and resting her head on the other.  The back of her hand lay against her forehead, as if that would still her thoughts.  She closed her eyes and in a voice only she could hear, the internal debate began.

            I sure would like to go…get to meet Pandora.

            But I don’t want him to think it’s gonna be ’bout me and him, ‘cause it ain’t.

            Well, maybe I could go for just a little while and make damn sure he knows it’s only about friendship.

            And I’m assuming he wants to get with me…maybe he just wants to be…shit, I can’t even convince myself of that.

            “I think I’ll call Kara,” she said aloud as she swung her legs toward the floor, but stopped before they reached their destination and resumed her former position.

 “No point.  I can hear her now.  ‘No outings with blue guys.  I don’t care who he is or where you’re going.’  And Dani’s no better…just different.  ‘You need to get to getting, girl.’”

            Remy picked back up on her internal fight.  But I have to admit, I do like hanging out with him.  He’s so damn much fun.  Thinking back on his James Brown imitation earlier, she laughed.

            I can’t believe I’m even thinking about going out with this blue guy.  I just don’t know.

            The images in her head continued to move backwards, stopping at the moment—that intriguing, hypnotic moment when she and Jace sat caught up. And ohmigod, what was that time suspension thing we did?  That was just too weird.

             Okay, Remy, enough of this wishy-washy crap.

            A knock on the door interrupted her musings.  Time to get to work.  She rose from the couch, her thoughts immediately turning to the tasks at hand.